Best of the Maldives: Bubble Tower – Amilla Fushi

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Amilla Fushi - bubble villa

Amilla Fushi has combined two of my recent distinctions – bubble deck and villa tower – for a doubly distinctive bubble tower. The resort describes this new feature as follows…

  • “The bubble tent concept is being elevated to a whole new level in the Maldives this year, as luxury resort trendsetter Amilla Fushi debuts its new Skyhouse with Bubble accommodation –tranquil treetop eyries with their own private transparent Bubble, breathtakingly suspended 12 metres up between a canopy of lush palms and the vast Maldivian skies…Encircled by swaying palms, and measuring 4 metres in diameter, the Bubble’s interior will feature custom-fitted wooden floors, a rotating daybed, telescope, Bang & Olufsen soundsystem and bespoke furnishings. A removable cover provides solar protection during the day – and come nightfall, unfettered views of the star-studded heavens above…Conceived and custom-designed by Eye In The Sky, the transparent inflatable Bubbles are constructed with super-strong, high tech polyester fabric using exclusive Précontraint Serge Ferrari® technology. UV-protected, fully waterproof and climate-controlled, the Bubbles create an inspiring environment where guests can enjoy a uniquely immersive, closer-to-nature experience – without compromising on high-spec design and luxurious creature comforts.”

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Best of the Maldives: Villa Tower – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi - tower

To get as close to somewhere over the rainbow as possible (and other celestial sights), Soneva Fushi sets a new highwater, well high in the air, mark for an open vista platform. Recently completed its latest villa, the five-bedroom Villa 37. The 11 metre tall viewing tower, reached by a winding staircase encircles a dining table called the Moonlight Table at the summit. This viewing tower is now the tallest point on the island and the ideal spot to take in the panoramic views, sunrises, sunsets, dining experiences and stargazing.

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Best of the Maldives: Speed Dive Boat – Hurawalhi

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Hurawalhi - dive speed boat

If you want to get to see your sharks with jet speed, then Hurawalhi offers a diving speed boat. Not a typical diving dhoni that chugs along to your dive site, but a proper speed boat that gets you there in half the time. It not only saves time just sitting on the boat when you could be back on the resort sipping pina coladas, but is handy in other ways. The dive masters got reports of a juvenile whale shark in the area and in the boat we were able to do a quick reckie to see if it was still around before proceeding home (no luck).

Hurawalhi - dive boat

Hurawalhi - dive boat 2

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Best of the Maldives: Shark Plane – Hulhumale

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Hulhumale - shark plane

The biggest flying sea creature is the Embraer plane visit last month to the Maldives. Maldives Isle website reported…

  • “Embraer’s E190-E2 Profit Hunter demonstration airplane, with its distinctive shark livery, completed a demo flight at Velana International Airport this afternoon. Potential buyers and prominent airline officials from Maldivian, Flyme and Manta Air took part in the 1-hour demo flight.”

Maybe not a permanent fixture, but to fun to omit from the collection of sea creature inspired aviation in the maldives.

  

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Best of the Maldives: Bookseller – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi - bookseller

When Soneva Fushi announced their recruitment for a “Barefoot Bookseller” it was one of those fantasy jobs right up there with “Professional Cuddler” and “Ben & Jerry’s Flavour Guru” as one of the best jobs on the planet. The lucky bibliomerchant is Aimée Johnston. Her bio reads…

  • She studied History and English Literature at Trinity College Dublin and was part of the University of Tokyo’s AIKOM programme. Since graduating she has worked in the publicity department of Penguin Random House Ireland, managing campaigns for Irish and international authors including Tara Westover, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Aoife Abbey and most recently, TwistedDoodles. She loves open water swimming, travelling and factor 50 sunscreen.”

Maldives Complete was able to catch up with Aimee for an interview about her life as a Laccadive lady of leisure literature…

  • What prompted Soneva Fushi to open a bookstore on their resort?
    Soneva has always been a great innovator in the field of luxury travel, always pre-empting the needs and desires of guests and always willing to test an unchartered terrain, like their very own bookshop! For a lot of people leading busy lives, the only time they can sit back, relax and read for pleasure is when they are on holidays, so how brilliant to have a carefully curated bookshop on the island.
  • Where are you from?
    I’m from Antrim in Ireland but I moved to Dublin for college and fell in love with the city. I had been living there for seven years before moving to the Maldives.
  • What is your previous experience with books?
    I adore reading and always have. I loved literature so much that I decided to study it in college and when I left, I knew I wanted to get a job in the publishing industry. I’ve been lucky enough to work in the publicity department of Penguin Random House Ireland for three years. It’s a brilliant job. You get to work with fantastically talented authors, promoting their writing as far and as wide as possible.
  • Do people come into browse or are they more looking for recommendations?
    Both! Sometimes people come in with a blank slate, willing to be inspired by what they see on our shelves. Other times people can be unsure about what to read and I love nothing more than chatting to them, establishing their reading tastes and interests and finding the perfect book for them. It’s an amazing feeling, to know someone is walking away with a book that they’ll love.
  • What is the most popular genre?
    It really varies. Soneva Fushi guests have such a wonderful range of interests that every visitor to the bookshop is different. Generally though, our non-fiction piques a lot of interest. Guests want to feel informed, whether that’s by Peter Frankopan’s The New Silk Roads or Rudie Kuiter’s Fishes of the Maldives. Often our visitors are thrilled to see such an impressive collection of books on wildlife and sea-life that speak to their immediate environment.
  • What are you doing more of than you expected on the island?
    I’m doing a lot more eating than I imagined! Our staff canteen is simply amazing, and our chefs are brilliant. They can whip up a mean omelette that’s worth waking up early for!
  • What are you doing less of than you expected on the island?
    I’ll admit that there is a little less sunbathing than I naively fantasized about! There is so much to do on the island that I find I’m a lot busier than I was expecting, trying to do as much as I possibly can. It has been a lot of fun.
  • What book are you reading now?
    I’ve just finished reading Not Working by Lisa Owens. It follows Claire Flannery just as she’s quit her job in the hope that by taking some time out she’ll figure out what the ‘perfect’ job for her really looks like. I loved it. It has all the heart and humour of Bridget Jones but so totally original in its story. Claire’s quest for her ‘dream’ job was the ‘will they won’t they’ romance I didn’t know I needed! Next up on my reading list is The Woman in the Window by controversial author A.J. Finn, which is our first reading choice in the Barefoot Book Club.

Soneva Fushi - bookseller 2

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